Thank you for visiting the ISU Ed. Leadershop. Our intent over the past few years has been to field-test community-engaged writings for PK-20 practitioner conversation -- quick, 5-minute "read's" that help put into perspective the challenges and opportunities in our profession. Some of the writings have remained here solely; others have been developed further for other outlets. Our space has been a delightful "sketch board" for some very creative minds in leadership, indeed.

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Monday, September 29, 2014

"Calling" 4th and Inches

“Calling”
4th and Inches

By Dr. Ryan Donlan

Assistant Professor

Department of Educational
Leadership

Bayh College of Education

Indiana State University

The
Indiana State University Sycamore Football Team competed this past weekend
against the Liberty University Flames.At one point in this fairly close game, the Sycamores were “4th
and inches.”The typical decision here
is to either take a risk and “Go for it!” with the run, or punt the ball more
conservatively and rely upon your defense to hold the other line.

The Sycamores
“went for it” all right, in fact, deciding surprisingly to throw down the field,
gaining sweet yardage and positioning themselves for an eventual score.

I
couldn’t believe they did that!!

That’s
risk-taking.

In
golf, we might do the same in taking a pin shot instead of laying-up, amidst complicated
hazards in high winds.I’m sure other
analogies would fit us well, whether in sports, gambling, fine arts, or the
world of business.

What
I’m not so sure about is whether risks this big should be taken in education,
as children’s live are involved.It’s
one thing to have “4th and inches”; that’s just our business.It’s another to decide, “What’s next?”

I once took such a pin shot in a teaching hire,
adversely affecting for a time the classroom instruction of children.Felt remiss and took full responsibility.

I once threw down the field with a program of
faculty professional development and ended-up glad my Board didn’t look too
closely at the return on investment (regretted meeting that sales rep at the
national conference).

I once put it all on red in a decision
regarding student discipline and ended-up weighing the benefits of one who
wasn’t at all interested, over the others who were adversely affected.Not my
finest hour.

While
I guess I could give myself credit for not being a K-12 coward when circumstances
called for leadership decisions, at times I feel remiss that I didn’t approach
particular situations with a bit more wisdom and conservancy.

It
would have been smarter as a building principal or superintendent to employ a
building-level risk-benefit analysis when “bringing game,” much like I would
imagine our fighting Sycamores did last weekend, eventually winning 38-19.

Unlike
sports, however, in which I deeply respect the sacrifice and commitment of all
involved, our profession is more a high-stakes obligation of human service, where
every decision runs a risk of making lives better, or conversely, making lives
worse through our every gamble.

Sometimes, we
don’t get another chance at the ball or a halftime in which to regroup.

It
is a rare day in K-12 education that circumstances would justify throwing on 4th
and inches, when a whole lot of folks are trying to knock us down, and our
children as well – many without protective gear or even a desire to be in the
game.

Dr.
Ryan Donlan love a taking risks, yet reflects back upon the impetuous of his
youth in striving to make a positive difference on behalf of children.He strives today to encourage K-12 leaders to
remain sharp, risk-tolerant, and creative in “bringing game,” while smartly
coaching themselves to understand the consequences of every 4th down
they face.If you would like to help
this non-athlete better understand sports analogies, or even the realities of
today’s K-12 practitioner, please consider contacting him at (812) 237-8624 or
at ryan.donlan@indstate.edu.

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